Every peak on this list, therefore, is exceptionally prominent, physically demanding, and technically difficult. They represent the "cream of the cream" of U.S. county high points outside Alaska. Note that since the list is limited to county high point peaks, that could be considered a fourth criterion and therefore the list is kind of a "quadruple crown".

Note that to qualify as a list completer, you must actually climb over 5000 feet to reach the summit of these peaks. Normally that is not an issue, since by definition the highest trailheads require that gain. An exception is Mount Hood, where many climbers use a charilift or snow-cat to get a higher start, and doing that means you can not technically claim completion of this list. Same thing goes for using a snowmobile to get high on Mount Baker. The other 8 peaks are ringed by wilderness where regulations prohibit any motorized transport.